Last Days Of Sunshine
by mouch30
Summary: When the Princess falls dangerously sick, it's only a matter of time before she fades away, and there is nothing else to do than watch the last days of sunshine.
1. Chapter 1

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 1

It was the same routine, every day.

Wake up, brush mane and teeth, wake Luna up for breakfast, attend to some royal duties, eat, spend quality time with Luna, check for friendship reports, then back to sleep.

It was tiring, and boring. Doing the same things over and over again, with no change whatsoever.

Princess Celestia stared at her reflection. Nothing had changed; same magenta colored eyes, same multicolored pastel mane, and same pristine light pink coat. Yet, there was something different.

Wrinkles.

Small, but made a huge difference. Not that anypony could notice until they stood right in front of her face, but they were there nonetheless. Those damned wrinkles, the only telltale sign of Celestia's true age. No one really knew how old the Princess was. All that was known was that she was probably more than a thousand or so years old, what with all the banishing Luna to the moon for a good thousand years.

Celestia sighed. She was _so_ tired. Tired of being a princess, tired of pretending to care about other pony's problems, but mostly tired of waiting. Soon, she would have to face reality. She wasn't getting any younger…

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><p>Wake up.<p>

"Tia? Tia. TIA!"

Celestia sat up, glaring at her little sister. "What is it, Luna?"

Luna jumped onto her older sister's bed, playing with the silken sheets. "I'm bored, and I want to play."

Celestia flopped back onto her bed. "Go away," she murmured, burying herself deeper into the covers. The bed was so warm, the pillow so soft…

"No!" cried Luna, ripping the sheets of the bed. "Time to wake up and be active! You've been sleeping for a thousand years, you lazy pony!"

"Oh please, I was only taking a cat nap," scoffed Celestia, swinging her hooves over the side of her bed, and walking over to her vanity.

"Oh yeah? From what I know, you took a nap at 3:00 PM, and now it's 4:30!" And with that, Luna smiled triumphantly.

Celestia cast a sideways glance at the midnight blue alicorn. Sometimes, she just wanted to banish her to moon all over again. "Luna," she began, putting down the brush she was using to comb her mane. "Maybe it's time you made some friends. You've been talking about Twilight Sparkle and her friends ever since you visited Ponyville last Nightmare Night, and you've done nothing but sit on the balcony, watching ponies pass by. Go do something with your time."

"But Tia," Luna protested. "I just want to play with you now."

Celestia spun around. "I might not always be around. Might as well have a back up plan."

The shocking remark surprised both sisters.

"Okay then. I'll go make some friends," said Luna slowly. As she turned to leave the room, she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something. However, she stopped herself, and walked out.

Celestia sighed. Hopefully that wouldn't become a habit for her.

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><p>"Luna, Luna, Luna."<p>

Luna woke up to the sound of her name being whispered over and over again. Using her unicorn magic to light up a candle, she discovered Celestia lying down on her bed, sweating heavily and panting.

"Tia? What's wrong?" asked Luna, rushing to the older alicorn's side.

"I feel odd, sick, feverish," gasped Celestia. "Please, call a doctor fast!"

And with that, Celestia let out a cry of pain as she moved her hoof to her neck.

"Oh gosh, oh gosh," whimpered Luna, as she raced out of the room to find the royal doctor.

"Please wake up!" she pleaded as she found his chambers. She shook the light orange unicorn awake. "Please, my sister's hurt!"

The doctor quickly leapt out of bed, using his magic to place a pair of glasses in front of his eyes and a bag full of necessary equipment floated next to him.

Both ponies said nothing as they ran to Luna's room.

Moments later, Celestia was escorted to the royal hospital chambers, where she would be undergoing a few tests.

Luna sat on her bed, eyes wide with fear as she thought about her sister. What was happening? And why?

Hopefully she would be all right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 2

Author's Note: I hope you guys are enjoying this! If this gets enough good reviews, I'm hoping to send it to Equestria Daily, so be nice please. What a short chapter this is.

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><p>"Dear Twilight Sparkle,<p>

This is Princess Luna. I'm writing this letter to inform you that my sister is really, really sick. Since you are her favorite student, I'm asking you (and your friends) to come stay over and spend some time with my sister. It pains me to write these next lines, but I fear something terrible is going to happen. We don't know what's wrong yet. I'm scared, and I need a friend.

Signed,

Princess Luna."

Luna sealed the scroll, and walked over to her sister's study, where she kept a bottle of dragon flames. She eased open the jar and burnt the letter. It would soon be on its way to Spike, Twilight Sparkle's dragon assistant. She glanced at the old-fashioned clock hanging on the wall. 6:00 AM. Maybe it was a bit too early. Oh well.

"Your Highness?" a voice said.

The source was a dark-brown unicorn guard.

"Yes?" asked Luna.

"The doctor would like to see you."

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><p>Twilight Sparkle looked out the train window, thinking about the first time she had arrived at Canterlot. It was to take an entrance exam to enter Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and she was most certainly gifted. It seemed like only yesterday that she was spending almost all her days with the princess alone in her study, laughing and talking about magic.<p>

"Twilight?"

Applejack put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Time to get going."

Twilight grabbed her saddlebag and jumped off the train to meet up with the rest of her friends who were now standing on the platform.

"So, we're staying at the castle, right?" asked Rainbow Dash, stretching her wings. "You had a suite there once, didn't you Rarity?"

"Oh yes, it was simply divine," gushed the white unicorn, using a perfectly manicured hoof to brush her perfectly styled mane out of her gorgeous azure blue eyes. Yes, Rarity was quite beautiful.

"We best be heading on then," drawled Applejack, adjusting her hat on top her floppy blonde mane. "It's getting' awfully dark."

The other ponies gave a small nod of agreement, and began their walk to the castle, where they would be spending the next few days.

"Twilight! You came!" Luna hurried down the grand staircase to meet the purple pony and her entourage.

"Thank you for inviting us, it's very kind of you," replied Twilight. She didn't expect the welcome to be so…cheerful. Maybe Celestia was getting better?

"I hope all of you will be comfortable here," continued Luna, a slight blush appearing onto her cheeks. "I've never had friends over, so please forgive me for any mistakes."

"Is this your very first sleepover?" asked the most exuberant and hyper pony of the group. "This is going to be so much fun!"

The rest of the gang all smiled at Luna.

Luna cleared her throat. "There was a reason I asked you all to come down here though. It's… my sister."

That was enough to silence everypony. Twilight made the first move to put her foreleg around Luna's shoulders. "What's wrong with her?"

"We don't know yet. This hasn't happened before. She's got rashes all over her body, and they won't stop bleeding. She…she's got this bump on her neck." Luna sat on the floor, a tear forming in one eye. "I don't know how to help her."

"We're here for you, sugar cube. We'll help you get through this," promised Applejack, taking her hat off and placing it across her heart.

And that's when Luna looked up into the eyes of all her friends, while something warm began to glow in her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 3

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><p>AN: I made a reference to that super duper sad Pinkie Pie cutie mark comic when Pinkie's talking. That's all. I'm thinking on making a chapter for each pony and their time with the princess. Sound good? Yea.<p>

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><p>"Would you care to visit the princess with me?" asked Luna. "Perhaps they have a diagnosis."<p>

"Yes, I'd like to see her," said Twilight.

Luna led the six ponies to the royal hospital chambers, and stopped in front of a large wooden door. It had a red cross painted on it. Luna pushed the door open to reveal Celestia lying on the bed.

It was a heartstring-pulling sight. She had grown thin, her bones showing through her broken skin, crusting sores covering almost every inch of her coat. A very large, very noticeable bump was on her neck, and a few were scattered on her chest.

"Princess!" cried Twilight, rushing to her mentor's side.

"Twilight?" came the raspy reply. "Twilight! My most faithful student, how are you?"

"Don't care about me, think about yourself! What's wrong? Why are you like this?"

"Twilight, I didn't want you to see me like this. I didn't want any of you to see me in this condition, however I'm glad you're here. I fear my time has come."

"No! I won't allow it," sobbed Twilight. The mere thought of her princess…dying was too much to bear. The sight of her sick body made Twilight weep. What would happen when the time actually came?

Just then, the doctor walked in.

"Doctor! Tell me, what's happening?" asked Luna.

The doctor took a deep breath. "We ran some tests, and we can conclude that, sadly, the princess has lymphosarcoma." Ignoring the ponies' confused looks, he carried on. "It's a type of cancer. Basically, she's getting tumors through the lymph nodes, which are tissues that help fight disease. Also, the sores on her body won't heal."

The ponies stood in shock and horror; the only movements were the tears that had begun to flow freely from the eyes of Luna.

"S-she'll get better, right?" whispered Twilight.

"I'm afraid the chances of one surviving this fateful disease are quite slim. In her condition, the princess… doesn't stand a chance."

Luna collapsed on the floor, sobs racking through her chest.

"This can't be!" she cried, leaning her head onto the bed. "Don't leave me, Tia!"

"Now, now, we all knew this day would come," said Celestia.

"How can you just lie there and tell me that?" yelled Luna. "Stop with all your 'I knew this would come' stuff! We are going to find a cure and we are going to make you better!"

"Luna's right," pleaded Twilight, walking over to the other side of the hospital bed. "There is light at the end of this tunnel."

"Doctor," asked Celestia. "Can you give me an estimate of how long I have…left?"

"In your case, I'd say about a week."

Everypony gasped.

"Only one week?" whispered Applejack.

"If I only had one more week to live, I'd go crazy," said Rainbow Dash, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, Princess, we'll help you make this last week the best week of your life!" cried Pinkie, her eyes shining with tears. "I had a friend who had your disease once. Her name was Blueberry. She got sick real fast but I made her happy and she stayed a bit longer. That's how I got my cutie mark, you know."

"You never told us that," said Rarity.

"It makes me sad to think about her," replied Pinkie, her voice somewhat muffled as she dug into her saddlebags for something.

She produced a large star-shaped balloon, and proceeded to blow it up. After expertly tying it with her mouth, she attached a string to it and tied it to the post of Celestia's hospital bed.

"Thank you," murmured Celestia. "I know I can count on you seven to help me get through this. I love you all. I'll hope you remember that."


	4. Chapter 4

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 4

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><p>AN: Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, everypony! thank you to the only two reviewers. Hoping to get pinkie pie and sweetie belle today when i go shopping with my family :) most words yet, so here you go and enjoy.<p>

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><p>"Good morning, Princess!"<p>

Princess Celestia opened her eyes to find Pinkie Pie standing by her side, a huge grin on her face.

"Good morning, Pinkie," replied Celestia.

"Everypony was so happy with my idea, that they let me have the first day of making you happy! So, I created a list of things we can do today," said Pinkie, pulling a list of paper out of her party bag.

"I'm very excited," murmured the princess, sitting up so she could see the party pony better.

"So! First on our list, is baking yummy cupcakes!"

Pinkie rushed out of the room, and after a few seconds, came back dragging an entire kitchen counter, complete with sink and oven.

"What in Equestria?" asked Celestia; slightly shocked but not too much as it _was_ Pinkie.

"Oh this old thing?" giggled Pinkie. "This is just something I've had for a while. You see, it's a portable counter thingy that I can carry around with me incase I need to bake something real quick! It's very handy, too."

Pinkie stopped moving the counter around, for she had placed it right in front of the princess, making sure that she would be able to cooperate in this activity.

"Oh! I also had this idea where we would be singing while baking!" Pinkie bounced up and down.

She opened her mouth to start singing:

"_Princess I know you're feeling down,_

_But I'm here to make you smile!_

_I'll turn that frown upside-down,_

_And keep you happy for a while!_

_I know that it's a really sad time,_

_For you and everypony,_

_But I'll make sure you're having fun_

_Or my name isn't Pinkie!"_

"That was wonderful!" smiled Celestia as Pinkie took a bow.

"Thank you," said Pinkie. "Now, time to bake!"

Pinkie got out a bowl and spoon, a carton of eggs, a stick of butter, a pitcher of water, some flour, and an assortment of confectionary.

"Okay! So, princess, what's first?" asked Pinkie.

"Um, eggs!" said Celestia.

"Right-o!" Pinkie cracked two eggs and set the eggshells aside.

"Then we add some…flour?"

"You got it!"

Pinkie poured a cup of flour and added it to the mix.

"Now add some salt, then the sugar and the water," said Celestia. A smile had been on her face all this time, and she was getting excited to see how the cupcakes turned out.

Pinkie added all the ingredients. She then added a small amount of vanilla onto a tablespoon and set it on the edge of the counter. She hit it with her hoof, sending it flying towards the bowl. Magically, the vanilla extract landed perfectly in the bowl. Pinkie bowed theatrically while Celestia applauded her skills.

"Now to mix, mix, mix!" cheered Pinkie.

"Oh! Oh! Can I sing a mixing song?" asked Celestia, a foalish look in her eyes.

"Go ahead! Hay! Why don't you mix then?" Pinkie hoofed the bowl to Celestia.

Holding the bowl, Celestia began to mix and sing:

"_When you add all the things_

_You need for a cake,_

_You need to mix them all up_

_So they're ready to bake._

_You grab yourself a spoon,_

_And mix, mix, mix,_

_So when you finish baking,_

_You can eat a lollipop on a stick!"_

Pinkie and Celestia began to laugh together, holding their sides, giggling about the ending of the mixing song.

"You're a great singer. And Mixer!" gasped Pinkie through her guffaws.

"T-thank you," laughed Celestia. "Oh, I can't breathe!"

After laughing for a while, Pinkie poured the batter into a cupcake tray.

"How many cupcakes are we making?" asked Celestia.

"Enough for everypony to have seconds!"

While the cupcakes were baking, Pinkie sat down on the bed.

"What now?" asked Celestia eagerly.

"I was thinking maybe…" she checked her list. "We can tell jokes!"

"That sound's like fun! Would you like to hear a joke about pizza?" said Celestia.

"Sure!" said Pinkie.

"Never mind, it's too _cheesy_!"

This continued, the swapping of very lame jokes and terrible punch lines somehow made Pinkie and the princess very happy. The only time they stopped was when Pinkie almost wet herself during a joke about tractors.

_Ding!_

"The cupcakes are ready!" Pinkie grabbed an oven mitt and took out the cupcakes.

16 beautiful golden cupcakes now sat on a pretty white plate.

"Time to decorate!" Pinkie cheered.

Separating the cupcakes so they would each get an equal amount, Pinkie and Celestia sat down to start decorating the cupcakes.

"Let's make them special for everypony," suggested Celestia, using her magic to make some blue icing.

"That's a wonderful idea!"

"This one's for Luna," said Celestia, spreading dark blue icing on a cupcake and dotting it with silver balls.

"Here's one for Rarity," said Pinkie, putting a twirl of purple icing on top a white frosted cupcake.

"One for Twilight."

"One for Applejack."

"One for you, Pinkie."

"And one for you, princess."

"This is fun, thank you."

"No, thank you.


	5. Chapter 5

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 5

"Ow," Princess Celestia grunted as she rolled over. She had hit one of her sores, and it hurt tremendously. She couldn't get up to take a shower, so she required someone to sponge bath her. The sponges just hurt her more. She needed something softer than rough loofas to clean her.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Yo, princess? Can I come in?" A pegasus popped her head through a crack in the door, blinking her rose colored eyes.

"Rainbow Dash! Come in, please," said Celestia. She couldn't wait to see what fun stuff would happen today.

Rainbow Dash flew in, carrying something behind her back.

"I was just talking to the doctor, and he told me that you were having trouble showering and stuff, so I thought that maybe I should do something, and I got you this." In Rainbow's hooves was a small cloud. "These are rainclouds, special ones that carry lots of rain, and they're really soft, so they'll help you when you bathe."

"That was really thoughtful, thank you," said Celestia.

"I'll keep bringing you clouds when you use this one up," offered Rainbow.

"Thank you. So, what are we going to do today?" The need to have fun was visible in the sick princess's tone of voice.

"Oh yeah. Wait here." Rainbow opened the window and flew out. After a few seconds, she came back, this time carrying a _huge_ _fluffy cloud_.

"Pinkie told me how much fun you had decorating the cupcakes, which, by the way, were totally awesome, so I had a brainstorm and decided today we could cloud sculpt!"

Celestia clopped her hooves in excitement. "Luna and I used to do this when we were kids!"

Rainbow tore off a segment of the cloud and handed it to the princess.

Celestia played with the cloud, molding it and kneading it. She squashed it with her hoof, and then made a perfectly round ball.

"I don't know what to make," she mused.

"I'm making a pegasus," said Rainbow, sticking out her tongue in concentration while she punched the cloud.

Using her magic, Celestia began to form the cloud. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to make a unicorn."

The pair sat in silent, commenting on one another's creations from time to time. Rainbow would dart out to get some fresh clouds and then they continue making.

"Say, princess, I have a question," said Rainbow, putting down her poorly misshapen cloud figure.

"Yes, Rainbow dear," responded Celestia.

"What happens when, you know, you die?"

Celestia stopped what she was doing and looked into Rainbow's eyes. "Well, I guess you go to a special place, called Hayven."

"What's that?"

"It's a magical place you go to after your soul has passed through this world. It's lovely. Everypony you love will appear there and all your dreams come true. You can do what ever you feel like there."

Rainbow sighed. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"It's not. It's just the fact that your living friends won't be able to see you anymore. That's what makes ponies so sad."

"You know what makes me sad, princess?"

"What is it, Rainbow?"

"My awful pegasus sculpture."


	6. Chapter 6

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 6

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><p>AN: It is 11:58 PM, and I am awake posting ponies.<p>

* * *

><p>"Princess? Oh, princess! I'm glad you're awake!"<p>

Celestia looked up from the book she was reading. "Why hello there, Rarity."

Rarity trotted in the room, using her magic to levitate a clothes rack, 20 rolls of fabric, a sewing machine, and a cat.

"Oh princess, this is my darling cat Opalescence. I couldn't possibly just leave her in Ponyville so I thought I would bring her here. You know what they say, sometimes a pet can help a pony be happy. But don't worry, she'll just nap in a corner," Rarity babbled as she organized her items in neat piles.

"What is all this?" Celestia asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Well, you can't stay in that ratty old bathrobe, no offense. I was thinking of making a new ensemble for you," replied Rarity, placing a pair of red cat-eye glasses on her nose.

"I agree," Celestia said, looking down on her dusty pink robe.

"Rainbow told me about your poor sores, so I chose some soft fabric for you. Here, feel them!"

Rarity used her magic to levitate some fabric to the princess's cheek. Celestia rubbed her cheek on the fabric.

"My, that _is_ quite soft."

"I got it from a little shop not far from the castle," said Rarity. "Now, are you able to stand up?"

"I think so," said Celestia, throwing the covers off her body. She put one hoof on the floor, and three more followed. Shakily walking towards Rarity, she smiled.

"Don't hurt yourself, princess," warned Rarity.

"Are you just going to make me a dress?" questioned Celestia.

"Oh no, you are going to have a complete makeover!"

Rarity proceeded to measure the princess, measuring her legs, neck, back, and shoulders.

"So, what color would you like this dress?" asked Rarity.

"Could you somehow make it white but shimmery at the same time?" requested Celestia.

"Shimmery like your hair?" commented Rarity.

"Exactly," smiled Celestia. The smile faded after a while. "Er, what do you plan to do with me for the makeover?"

"Oh, just some makeup here and there. We'll have to do something with your hair, too," chirped Rarity. She was really into her element.

"That sounds great," thought Celestia.

"Yes, now, darling, could you turn around?"

Two hours (and 10 cups of tea) later, Celestia's dress was done. The princess walked over to the floor-length mirror. Twisting around, she admired how the fabric sparkled when the light hit it, how soft and feathery the fabric was, how the dress covered most of her crusty cuts.

"You look wonderful," beamed Rarity.

Celestia giggled. "This is a great dress. I would definitely recommend you to some famous ponies."

Rarity squealed. "That means quite a lot to me. Now, time for your makeover!"

Sitting Celestia down in a chair, Rarity used her magic to carry her makeup bag over to where they were sitting. Opening it up, she put a hoof on Celestia cheek and turned her head left and right.

"Okay, now _sit still_," ordered Rarity. "And no peeking until I'm done."

No conversation took place as Rarity began to work her magic on the princess. She dabbed foundation underneath Celestia's eyes, covering the dark purple bags. She applied mascara to her eyelashes, and then smeared pearly pink lipstick onto her lips. After finishing Celestia's face, Rarity moved onto her hair.

"Can I open my eyes?" pleaded Celestia.

"Very well," sighed Rarity. "Ruin the surprise."

Celestia opened her eyes, and gasped. "I look amazing! You are amazing! I don't look like myself at all!"

"That's what I do," simpered Rarity, brushing Celestia's beautiful hair.

"That feels nice," mumbled Celestia, closing her eyes and losing herself in the sensation of the brush gently tugging on her hair.

Rarity pursed her lips as she expertly twisted the princess's hair into a tight chignon, securing the bun with a butterfly clip.

"There," whispered Rarity. "You look perfect."

Celestia stood up, turned around, and hugged Rarity.

"Thank you so much," uttered Celestia.

"No need to thank me," said Rarity. "Now, just wait here."

Rarity rushed out of the room, and came back in with a pegasus colt. "Princess, this is Flash Bulb, a photographer. He graciously offered to help me with your makeover by taking a few pictures of you."

The white, blue maned colt smiled shyly. "You look really pretty, princess."

"Thank you, Flash Bulb," Celestia blushed.

"Now princess, strike a pose, and vogue!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 7

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><p>AN: I have a feeling fluttershy was too OOC here. Review please! I'd appreciate it. Thank you to the people who have added this story to their alerts, favorites and the reviewers. Also, I bought pinkie pie and sweetie belle today. YAYAYAYAY.<p>

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><p><em>Squeak squeak<em>.

Princess Celestia mumbled, then rolled over, snuggling deeper into the covers. Suddenly, she felt something nibble her ear.

"What the-?" gasped Celestia. On her pillow was an adorable little…chipmunk!

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I just lost Sir Squeaks-a-lot for a second!"

A butter-yellow pegasus with long flowing pink hair burst into the room, carrying a plastic bag. As soon as she opened the door, three bunnies, a family of squirrels, and a myriad of birds scurried into the room.

"Fluttershy! How nice to see you," said Celestia, petting the little chipmunk.

"Thank you, it's nice to see you too. Rarity showed us a copy of the photos Flash Bulb took of you yesterday, and you looked lovely," replied Fluttershy as she took out a piece of bread from the plastic bag.

"If you don't mind me asking so, what's with all these animals?" asked Celestia, eyeing a bunny that looked like it was going to go to the bathroom right there.

"Oh, I just thought it would be nice to bring some of my animal friends to meet you," said Fluttershy. "Also, I have a surprise for you."

She flew out of the room, and all of a sudden, a flash of orange and red soared in.

"Philomena!" Celestia cried. "I've missed you so much!"

The phoenix perched on the railing of the bed, preening her feathers. She cocked her head to one side and began to sing. The song was so beautiful it brought Celestia to tears.

"I asked permission this time," added Fluttershy, smiling behind her mane.

"Would you please introduce me to your friends?" Celestia wanted to know all about them.

"Of course! This is Angel, my favorite pet," Angel cooed, snuggling the white bunny. Angel sighed, a bothered look on his face. "Here," Fluttershy hoofed a baby carrot to Celestia. "You can feed him."

Celestia held out the carrot to Angel. He approached it cautiously, sniffed it, and then took a huge bite.

"Good bunny," hummed Celestia.

"These other bunnies are Snowflake and Chocolate Chip," Fluttershy gestured to the snow-white and chocolate-brown rabbits sitting by Fluttershy's hoof.

"This is the Squeakers family," Fluttershy said. Pointing to each individual squirrel, she began to name him or her. "Mama Squeakers, Papa Squeakers, Oak Squeakers, Chestnut Squeakers, and this little rascal is Sir Squeaks-a-lot, the naughtiest of the bunch."

"What a delightful family," said Celestia,

"I organized a little concert for you, that is, if you would like to hear it," mumbled Fluttershy.

"I'd love to!" said Celestia, sitting up properly.

"Okay then. Birds, get into your positions," ordered Fluttershy. The birds began to chirp and flutter everywhere while Fluttershy tried to get them to settle down.

"Please, sit still!" she demanded in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "Please!"

After a minute of feathers flying, the birds were ready to begin their recital.

"Ready? One, two, one, two three!" Fluttershy gave the signal to start singing.

The rollers started, soft and low, then the American singers began to crescendo, and a firework of sound erupted from the canaries. All the birds began to sing in perfect harmony.

The music was so lovely, so pure and melodic, that the nurses and the doctor themselves came to see who was producing the sounds. They stayed and watched until the birds finished, adding to the applause Fluttershy and the princess gave.

"That was by far the best performance I've ever seen!" cried the princess, smiling ecstatically.

"Thank you. The birds here did all the work though," Fluttershy said, breaking the loaf of bread she took out earlier and feeding it to the birds. The birds chirped in delight as they began to nibble on the crumbs.

"This has been a real delight," said Celestia, taking Fluttershy's hoof in hers. "When I…leave, I would like you to take care of Philomena for me."

Fluttershy gasped. "Really? That is such an honor," she whimpered. "Oh dear, I'm going to tear up. I'm sorry."

Celestia laughed. "Dear Fluttershy, no need to cry."

"I'm sorry. I promise that Philomena will receive the best care a pet could get. Just for you, princess," babbled Fluttershy, saluting the princess. She dropped her hoof, and put her hoofs around Celestia's neck. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't let me down. That's why I chose you."


	8. Chapter 8

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 8

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><p>AN: I thought the ending was bleh. reviews please? every time you review, fluttershy gets a juice box.<p>

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><p>"Howdy, princess! Rise and shine! Ah'm here to take you on a walk!"<p>

Princess Celestia woke up to the sound of the orange country pony trotting in her room, throwing the shades open, nudging the covers off the body of the slumbering princess.

"What…what time is it?" mumbled Celestia sleepily.

"7:00 AM!"

"Too early."

"It's never too early to get up and going," said Applejack.

Celestia climbed out of bed. "Are you pony-napping me?" she accused jokingly.

"Nope. Ah asked the doctor if Ah could take y'all out fer a spin," replied Applejack.

"I suppose I could go for a quick walk," said Celestia, who was now in the bathroom splashing cold water on her face.

"HA! Quick walk…" Applejack snickered. "Just brush yer mane and we'll get going!"

Minutes later, Applejack successfully dragged Celestia down the palace stairs and outside.

"You smell that?" Applejack asked. "That's the smell of fresh air and freedom!"

Celestia took a deep breath, warm clean air filling her lungs. "I feel brand new," she said, looking down at Applejack.

"Let's go," Applejack started to lead the way.

Celestia began to follow Applejack down to the palace gates, and into the Canterlot time square. Applejack turned a corner and stopped in front of a massive meadow. Green rolling fields stretched aimlessly underneath a cornflower blue sky. Dove gray clouds dotted across the sky. The sun was shining brightly.

"Who's been raising the sun while I'm in the hospital?" wondered Celestia.

"You'll be mighty proud to know that Luna took all your responsibilities very seriously. She's been raising the sun and moon, and dealing with all the royal duties. She's going to be a fine princess one day."

"Yes, she is," agreed Celestia.

Applejack began to venture forth into the grassy plains, Celestia following close behind.

It felt so good to be out in the open air. There was a slight breeze ruffling her feathers. Celestia opened her wings, stretching them out.

"That feels nice," she sighed, extending her wings further.

"Why don't you go for a little fly?" suggested Applejack. "Ah'm sure you'll be fine. Ah'd be happy to wait for you here."

"Really?" Celestia whooped and began to gallop. It was an amazing sensation to use her muscles once more. After running for a while, Celestia began to take flight. She began to soar through the sky, laughing and shouting. It was nice to let loose and break the whole 'I'm royalty and I'm fancy' façade. Celestia sped up, enjoying the feel of her hair whip on her face. Tears began forming in her eyes.

_I'm never going to experience something like this ever again._

_I'm never going to watch Luna grow up._

_I'm never going to listen to Twilight's voice telling me about what she's learnt today._

There were so many things she would never be able to do. A certain feeling in her neck and chest nagged her to slow down. Swallowing back salty tears, she began to descend.

"Princess! Are you okay?" asked a nervous Applejack. "You were flying so fast and suddenly Ah lost you."

"I-I'm fine," Celestia's voice broke on the 'I'm'. "What have you got planned for us next?"

"Ah was hoping we could go on a picnic!" Applejack once again led Celestia to a nicely shaded area under a tree, where a red and white-checkered picnic blanket was placed. A large brown wicker basket lay on top, open to reveal the goodies inside. Applejack sat down and began to unpack the basket; pies, cupcakes, cakes, grass, hay, and a _bag of oats_.

"OH! How did you know I love oats?" cried the princess, snatching the bag up and opening it. She inhaled the sweet scent of the oats and stuffed a couple in her mouth.

Applejack grinned. "Ah had a little chat with Luna."

Laughing and chatting were accompanied by munching and chewing as Applejack and Celestia began to demolish the food. After eating almost everything, Applejack produced a bottle of apple juice from the basket and poured some into the plastic cups that were packed next to it.

Quietly sipping the juice, Applejack turned to face the princess. "Ah'm sure that this is personal, but when you were up there flying, Ah noticed you were crying."

Celestia looked into expectant green eyes. "Yes. Yes, I was crying. I was crying because I knew that after this day, I would never experience the joy of flying and being free. But I'd like to thank you for bringing me here and letting me have my freedom one last time."

Applejack scooted over to the alicorn and laid her head on her shoulder.

The pair stayed like that under the tree until Luna began to lower the sun.

And they stayed like that until Luna raised her moon.


	9. Chapter 9

**Last Days Of Sunshine**

Chapter 9

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in," yawned Celestia, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Princess?"

"Twilight?"

The door opened to reveal the small purple unicorn. She ran to the bed, throwing her front legs around the princess.

"Oh princess," Twilight murmured, burying her face into her teacher's mane. Small rivers of tears streamed down her face.

"Twilight, please, don't cry," sniffed Celestia, her own eyes tearing up.

Twilight pulled back, a brave smile plastered on her face. "I brought some of your favorite books," she said, pulling out five different books. "I thought we could read for a while, and then…maybe…talk?"

Embarrassment flashed across her features.

"Why are you blushing?" asked the princess.

"Well, I just realized that everypony else had much more fun ideas, and all I want to do is read and talk."

Celestia let out a bubble of laughter. "That's fine with me! You know how much I enjoy reading and talking with you!"

"That's great!" smiled Twilight.

"So," Celestia shifted her body so she was facing her student. "What books have you brought me?"

Twilight dived in her purple saddlebags, levitating a thick book. It was brown and leathery, with a glinting gold spine.

"I brought _The History of Equestria_, because I was hoping you would answer a few questions for me," said Twilight, opening the book to the first page.

"Of course. What are your questions?"

Twilight pointed to a picture. "Do these still exist?"

Celestia peered at an illustration of a pearly, slightly translucent horse. Its icy blue eyes gazed back, a menacing scowl on its long face.

"Yes. They still exist somewhere, floating around, looking for arguments and signs of hatred. They don't come to Equestria anymore, not after Luna and I defeated Discord. After Discord was imprisoned in stone, the windigoes had to flee, as they knew that no more fighting or hatred," replied Celestia, remembering the times she had to stare one in the eye, its penetrating eyes send shivers down her spine.

"Ah, that makes sense," said Twilight, flipping the pages. "Oh, here's something else…"

The teacher and the student spent some time answering questions, reading snippets of the book aloud, and laughing at some of the myths written inside.

"L-look at this one," giggled Twilight. She read aloud, "'_…another popular myth was one of a giant bee with the head of a rabbit which roamed the Enchanted Forest looking for kernels of corn…'_ How silly is that?"

"That is quite ridiculous," said Celestia. "Only the truly gullible would believe something like this."

When they reached the end of the book, Twilight returned it to her side and carried another one out. It was a deep navy, speckled with white dots. In the center was a drawing of the sun, which resembled the princess's cutie mark.

"I found this one in the Royal library. It looked interesting, so I thought I would bring it," said Twilight.

Celestia read the title in her mind. _The Rise of the Sun_, she thought.

"Have you ever read it?" asked Twilight, glancing at her mentor.

"Yes, I have. This was written after I banished Luna to the moon."

"Oh," Twilight mumbled. A deep red was creeping onto her face. "I-I didn't kn-know," she stammered.

"That's okay," Celestia said. "Why don't we talk for now?"

"That sound great," Twilight was relieved to see that the princess was not angry.

"So, how is everypony?" asked Celestia.

"Well, I'm not supposed to tell you, but…" Twilight stopped mid-sentence, staring out the window to find Pinkie with three balloons tied around her body, floating outside. The flying earth pony glared at Twilight, making an 'I'm-going-to-chop-your-head-off' motion with her hoof.

"Yes?" Celestia prompted.

"O-oh, never mind," Twilight said, as Pinkie gently floated out of her view.

"How's Luna?"

"She's doing fine. She's been really busy this week. Just the other day, the Prime Minister of Zebrabwe came by for a meeting. They were discussing the rise in herbal medicine sales ever since we met Zecora. He wanted to thank us for boosting their business by giving us a present." Twilight disappeared back into her bag, carrying a little pouch. "These will help you with your sores."

Twilight opened the pouch, taking out a couple of round leaves. She summoned a bowl of water, dipped the leaves inside, and placed them gently on her princess's cuts.

"Princess?"

"Yes, Twilight?"

"Are you in pain?"

Celestia closed her eyes. "I can open up to you. Yes, I am in so much pain. When I wake up, I feel like I can just jump out of bed and raise the sun, but then I feel pain everywhere. My neck, my skin, my legs, and my heart."

"Your heart?" whispered Twilight, a hoof stroking Celestia's mane.

"Yes," Celestia leaned towards Twilight. "The fact that I will never talk to you or anypony else breaks my heart. I just which this never happened to me. You're so special to me, that leaving you makes me feel like a bad pony."

"This isn't your fault Princess!" said Twilight. "You're just as special to me! I don't want you to die!"

With that, Twilight broke down into tears.

"Y-you only have t-tomorrow to live," she whimpered. "That's not fair!"

"I know," Celestia said, hugging Twilight as hard as she could.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Twilight, you're so special to me..."

"You're special to me too."

"I see you as part of my family...you're almost like a sister to me."

Twilight's eyes stung from the onslaught of tears that were attacking her. "I always thought of you as a big sister, Princess."

"Twilight, when it's time for me to leave, please take care of Luna for me..."

"I promise, Princess."

"Why don't you sleep with me tonight?"

Twilight hopped in bed and snuggled close to the alicorn's warm body. "I love you, Princess. With all my heart."

"Twilight, my most faithful student, I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

Last Days Of Sunshine

Chapter 10

It was a beautiful day.

The sun shone through the window, casting a buttery glow on the sick princess's face.

Celestia had woken up feeling tired and achy all over.

_This is where it ends_, she thought sadly.

Outside, birds chirped merrily. A single canary flew down and landed on her window. He cheeped for a minute, and quickly fluttered away.

Celestia sighed. The world was so full of life today.

_So why can't I be?_

"Tia?"

_Glomp!_

Celestia was crushed by a midnight blue alicorn.

"TIA!" Luna yelled, hugging her sister tight, crying her eyes out. "I'm so sorry I couldn't visit you this week! I was so busy, it's so hard being all alone, doing all these royal duties, no one would shut up, and the zebra pony's accent was so thick that all I did was smile and nod!"

"Luna, calm down," soothed Celestia.

Luna pulled back and rested her front hooves on her sister's cheeks.

"I've missed you so much," she proclaimed, pulling Celestia's head towards her chest. She gently squeezed it, burying her face into Celestia's once-flowing-now-limp mane. "I have a surprise for you."

Luna reluctantly let go of Celestia's head and stepped out the room.

Celestia heard whispers and excited giggles. _Was this what Twilight was going to tell me about yesterday?_

Luna peeked back in, then disappeared.

"Ready?" Celestia heard Luna whisper.

"SURPRISE!"

Seven ponies all burst into the room. Pinkie had her party cannon, and as she clicked the button on top, a swirl of confetti and streamers were soon flying around the room. Balloons inflated by the use of magic (Celestia could see a vivid red surround them) and floated to the top of the room. Clouds gently sauntered in, and nested themselves behind Celestia's back, which gave her a very plush, cozy cushion.

"Ha. Ha ha ha!" laughed Celestia. She threw her head back, laughing and smiling.

"Do you like it? Huh? Do you? Do you? Do you?" babbled Pinkie, pulling a silly face after each 'Do you?'.

"We wanted to make your last day special," said Applejack, gesturing to the decorations.

Guards suddenly opened the door, carrying with them a table laden with delicious foods. A cake, s'mores, pies, bowls filled with crunchy carrots, apples, oats, and a loaf of banana bread. The guards set down the table, gave the princess a smile, and left.

Celestia could have sworn one of the guards had a tear in their eye.

"Are you happy?" asked Luna, taking Celestia's hoof.

"This is simply marvelous!" cried Celestia.

"Oh~!" Rarity squealed. "Here are the photos from our little session! Might I add, you look _divine_!"

Celestia beamed at Rarity, taking the photos and examining herself. She did look quite good, not sick at all.

"My birds composed a song just for you," spoke a soft little voice. Fluttershy had crept up to Celestia's bed.

"I'd love to hear it," said Celestia.

"Uh, can we eat now?" interrupted Rainbow Dash. "I'm kind of STARVING."

"Of course we can, silly! That's what the food's here for!" giggled Pinkie.

Everypony grabbed a plate of food, and made their way to sit around the princess's bed. Luna loaded a silver tray with three apples, a huge slice of chocolate cake, and a plate of oats. She carried the tray over to Celestia and gently placed it on her lap. Luna then grabbed her own tray and sat down on the bed next to Celestia. The eight ponies began eating together, chatting and laughing.

"My, this is an excellent piece of cake," said Celestia, licking chocolate icing from her lips.

"I made it!" bragged Pinkie, a silly smile on her face.

"That was a great meal," said Twilight, a satisfied look on her face.

"I agree," piped Luna.

"It's time," said Fluttershy. "The birds are here!"

A plethora of birds swooped in from the window, led by none other than the small yellow canary. The assembled themselves in color, so a giant rainbow was spread across the room. The reds started, then the oranges, then the yellows. The sounds moved through each color until Celestia's ears were filled with the sweetest song ever. All the ponies swayed in time to the harmony. At the end of the performance, the birds gave a quick bow as everypony applauded them, and they sped out the window, flying towards the horizon.

"That was so beautiful!" complimented Celestia. "Fluttershy, please tell your little friends they were fantastic!"

Fluttershy ducked her head and smiled. "I will, princess."

Celestia lay back, sighing happily. She looked at all the ponies surrounding her, and closed her eyes in content. She felt a hoof poke her.

"Silly! It's not time to sleep! We have one more surprise!" said Pinkie.

Luna, Rarity, and Twilight all gathered in the middle of the room. Their horns started to glow, and rays of magic poured out. The streams entwined together, creating a large, sparkly splodge of magic in the air. They stepped back, and began the show.

It started off with darkness. A little light was peeping through two little slits. After the slits widened, the face of a beautiful snow-white alicorn came into view. She had a short, baby pink mane.

"Celestia, this is your new sister."

"M-mother?" Celestia gasped.

The little filly began to speak. "What's her name, mommy?" she asked in a twinkly voice.

"Her name is Luna."

"Father!" cried Celestia, tears in her eyes.

Foal Celestia began to smile. "She's so pretty," she said.

The memory began to fade.

Another scene began to take place. This time, they were in an examination room. From the current pony's point of view, they were taking an exam. The eyes glanced anxiously towards the judges, and began to concentrate on the egg in front of her. After failing several times, the eyes closed.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time," the pony whimpered in a small voice.

"Twilight, was this the first time we met?" asked Celestia.

All of a sudden, there was a huge _boom_! The filly's eyes grew wide with shock and the room began to glow a blinding white. Crashes and screams were heard. The flash soon subsided, and the scene was clear. The filly turned her head to look up at a tall, regal looking alicorn with magenta colored eyes and a flowing pastel mane. The alicorn smiled.

The memory disappeared. Soon, many different scenes began to play; the time Celestia had to cancel her visit and as greeted by Pinkie Pie leading a group of parasprites to the Everfree Forest, the Running Of The Leaves, witnessing Rainbow Dash make a sonic Rainboom, comforting Fluttershy when Philomena burst into flames, and finally, spending time with the mane six at a donut shop instead of attending the Grand Galloping Gala.

"We've had so many memories with you, that we wanted to share them with you for the last time," said Twilight. "The fact that you're so special to us makes us want to keep these memories forever."

Everypony gathered round once more, tears shining in their eyes.

"I'm going to miss you so much!" sobbed Luna, cuddling with her sister. "I wish you didn't have to d-die!"

Rarity puckered her lips, tears dripping down her face. Rainbow Dash sniffed and rubbed her eyes furiously. Fluttershy laid her head on the bed and began to weep. Pinkie wasn't smiling anymore, and tears started to leak. Applejack took her hat off, laid it across her chest, and cried silently. Twilight snuggled in on the other side of Celestia and hugged her hard.

Tears poured down Celestia's face, holding the ponies dear to her heart hard, wanting to live, wanting to see them again.

Her breaths racked and got caught in her throat.

_It hurts; it hurts too much to go on..._

"Oh dear," Celestia whimpered. "Oh, I don't want to die...I really don't want to leave you...Luna, look at me. Luna!"

Luna stared into the eyes of her dying sister.

"I love you," she whispered. "There is no one I would rather spend my last day with then you seven. Please, be strong…for me, for everypony else...Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Luna, I love you all. Remember that..."

Her voice trailed away, and her body grew limp.

"Tia?" Luna sounded like a little foal. She looked down on Celestia's body, and began weeping softly. "Why?" she whispered. "Why have you left us? Why have you left me?"


	11. Epilogue

Last Days Of Sunshine

Epilogue

* * *

><p><em>Five years later…<em>

Red and orange leaves swirled in the wind, dancing high above the heads of the multi-colored ponies gathering around a stage. The stage was white, with a tall ivory podium in the middle. Around the podium were wreaths of bubblegum pink roses.

An elegant alicorn stood at the platform. Her mane resembled the dawn of a new day, beginning with the night sky, then lighting to day. Her coat was a deep blue, her eyes brilliant teal. On her head, nested between her ears and horn, was a golden crown, with an amethyst in the middle. Behind the pony was a picture of another alicorn. She was a very light pink, with a flowing pastel mane, and kind magenta eyes.

"Citizens of Ponyville," the blue mare began in a loud voice. "We are gathered here today to honor my sister Princess Celestia, now deceased. In her memory, we will hold a grand feast. There will be music and games, and the big event, the Running Of The Leaves. The celebration will end with me raising the moon. Please, enjoy yourselves, and never forget the pony that was Princess Celestia."

* * *

><p>"How did I do?" asked Luna. She was relieved to be off that stage. Talking about her sister still pierced her heart.<p>

"You did fine," replied a lavender unicorn. "Celestia would be proud of you."

The two ponies shared a quick hug.

"Luna! Twilight! Come join us!"

Luna looked back to find a pony with crazy hot pink hair wave a hoof at them.

"Let's go join the celebration shall we?" suggested Twilight.

Luna took a deep breath. "That sounds like fun."

The pair walked towards their group of friends, laughing and chatting together. They spent the day participating in all the events, until the Running Of The Leaves started, to which they sat down in the sidelines and cheered on Rainbow Dash and Applejack, the two ponies most determined to win this race. After the race, there was music and dancing, and finally, it was time to watch Luna raise the moon.

She took her place on stage. Two unicorns levitated a tall pole behind her. It was silver, and had a circle perched upon it, except the circle was open at the very top. The whole circle resembled a crescent moon.

Luna closed her eyes, and bowed her head. All around them, the sky began to darken.

"Look! Look mama, the sun is coming down!"

Everypony looked up to see the big round sun gently sink into the horizon. As the sky grew darker with each progression, everypony began to talk and cheer. Soon, the sky was a rich navy blue. Luna continued to keep her eyes shut as she summoned the stars. Thousands of twinkly lights began to appear, making the twilight scene sparkle. Luna began to grit her teeth, her horn glowing a luminous blue. She began to lift her head, as the moon peeked from behind the horizon. She spread her wings, and began to flap, as she put all her energy in this. Visibly sweating, she flew higher and higher, until she reached the circle. She thrust her wings open and spread her arms and legs out as the moon flew up, coloring the world a soft, silvery gray. Everypony began to clap.

After the ceremony, Luna met up with her friends once more. Congratulations and compliments were given to her, and they left to retire to their homes. Luna was the only one to stay behind.

"Fall was your favorite season," she said to no one. She smiled at the sky. A star twinkled back.

* * *

><p>Somewhere, high above, somepony smiled.<p>

* * *

><p>AN: Here you go! This story is now complete! I'd like to thank all my reviewers and everyone who favorited my story and me. You mean a lot to me, and your support wrote this fanfic. I do not own My Little Pony. Stay tuned for more stories! I love you all, thank you! -Michelle<p> 


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